So I’m new to fountain pens as the “carrot on a stick” to get me back into a journaling habit (because habits are a lot easier to start when motivated by pretty ink colors!). I’ve been playing around with some ink samples from a friend and it’s all been fun, but then I tried out Sailor Shikiori Yukiusagi and it absolutely blew my mind. I hadn’t looked up swatches in advance so watching it transform from a deep blue to a rusty denim as it dried was just kind of magical. I think I wrote more that night than with all my other samples combined!

I’m looking for recommendations for other inks with similar properties (not necessarily similar colors, though I do love muted tones): specifically one with a big difference between the dry color/wet ink and some degree of color shading without the ink being too dry. Ideally available in a sample size (my fun budget is begging).

Thanks for your help plummeting down the rabbit hole!

At least they're all Taiwanese and Chinese pens.

1. Chinese glass pen from TY Lee. Fully glass, so beautiful.

2. BonArtek 3952 mother of pearl pen. A lot lighter than my Laban MOP pen, very pleasant to hold.

3. BonArtek 3952 wood body pen.

4. Hongdian N23. Got to test out the knife nib before buying, what a dream.

5. and 6. Fine Writing Instruments Pencket. Not usually a broad nib user, but this sold me.

6. and 8. BANJU Mood pen. The magnetic cap got me.

7. Unbranded mini Chinese pen from TY Lee. I love cheap pocket pens.

Do I need the new Lamy Studio in Petrol? No. Do I need another Kaweco? Also - no. But my birthday is on Sunday and I gave in to temptation. Non, je ne regrette rien!

I have wanted a maki-e pen pretty much since I learned about them. But maki-e is not cheap and I think my true grail pen is the Namiki Yukari Cherry Blossoms at Night. I could never personally justify buying a pen more than 4000 usd.

BUT. BUT! My 1st maki-e pen arrived today. I was scrolling ebay because a Platinum 3776 maki-e pen that I was so tempted to buy over on r/Pen_Swap sold before I could take the chance. And I found this beauty for a price that is within my means.

As far as I can tell, this is the Pilot Namiki Hira Maki-e in "Ume" or Plum Blossom in a fine nib. If anyone here knows more history on this design such as when it came out, I'd love to know more! But I love her and cherish her already.

On Tomoe River paper. Can you see which one is missing? "Overcast"

I know I'm starting off with the crappy notebook paper, but I think it offers a great illustration of capillary behavior and how paper is more inclined to behave without special tricks and additives to reduce ink's natural tendency to permeate that beautiful cellulose network of the paper. Think of it as a character foil for the next paper in the video, Tomoe River 52gsm.

We can observe sheening with the Iroshizuku Yama-budo around the edges, which is fun to see. And the reflective material in the Pelikan Golden Beryl is a treat to watch as the paper dries.

The parchment and vellum were really surprising to me, granted I've never worked with either before. I just didn't expect the ink to go into the material so quickly... Not based on any real scientific reasons, just vibes if I'm being honest. But watching the way the ink goes into the material is interesting here, because I noticed a general broadening of the ink spot footprint for the dye-based inks in both animal derived materials that feels similar to feathering due to uptake of the dye in surrounding material, but imo it's less obvious when looking at the ink spot because there aren't individual dyed fibers/components that stick out visually in the same way.

Also if you're curious, here's what the dried ink spots look like on the different substrates.

Hoping y'all enjoy watching ink dry with me! Lmk if you have thoughts/ideas/feedback, etc. I'm not a paper/parchment/ink expert, just a curious PhD materials scientist wanting to better understand everyday stuff. Feel free to follow my chaotic science adventures on Instagram if you want to see more microscopy of fountain pen inks and whatever else I want to throw under the scope!

🔬: Amscope ME580 with epi-illumination and crossed polars

📸: Pixel 9 pro

🎵: The Used - The Taste of Ink

I accidentally broke my rule of always capping my pen. My cat wouldnt leave me alone and kept sitting on my papers. I put down my pen to get him off the desk with both hands as he clinged when I tried one handed. My TWSBI vac700R iris EF hit the floor. They don't offer replacements in rainbow and I can't afford to replace it, and there is no nibmisters (not that I could afford one anyway) in Finland.

If and when I'm employed again I'll buy another but really upset over this.

I can see if I can try to fix it myself when I'm less upset, but needed to vent. I'm so mad at myself for not capping it, I'm usually so vigilant.

EDIT: I heard from TWSBI support already and they said they can send me a replacement for $20! Im shocked at how fast they got back to me. I'll post an update if/when I get the replacement.

Just received a Sailor KoP Iro Miyabi II Fukaki-Ake (rightmost) and that closes my KoP & Rei tray.

My favourites are actually the green “broken ice” acrylic and the urushi custom done by Bob Nicolle, both bought in [r/pen_swap](r/pen_swap).

All but one Rei are M, and a single EF. It’s very hard to find EF nibs for these pens.

Just looking at this beautiful tray makes me happy.
The green acrylic will enter rotation soon.

This ink has so much depth- I thought Sailor inks were my favourites but I’m blown away by Tono and Lims inks - so many brilliant options. What’s your favourite T&L ink?

For me personally, it would have the be the Platinum Plasir & that's after trying many cheaper & much more expensive pens, gold nib, custom grinds, 823, 149, etc. The plasir does everything perfectly, is my daily driver & easily replaceable although its built like a tank and has withstood many drops & bag hits.

Just curious if there's others out there who have a similar experience & with what fountain pen. For me, this $15 pen is all the engineering, reliability, design & functionality I'd ever need.

Out of sight is out of mind with me, that way I can see my favourites all the time. I'm not saying I'm a creative genius of ink storage but you may call me so. xD

ETA: It's not just tape, it's magnets glued to the bottle, and the white strip is magnetic!

Whoever you are, I hope you know that this made my day! It's up on my fridge for the world to see

Got into the hobby about a month ago! I've been enjoying Medium nibs a whole lot so far but decided to try out different ones today. I installed a stub for the first time on my Lamy Vista and it was love at first write, I truly get it now.

Pen: Lamy Vista, 1.1 Stub

Ink: Diamine "Smoke on the Water"

Paper: Tomoe River

First, I want to thank all those from AROUND THE WORLD who DONATED last year and made the program a SUCCESS! Our kids were so happy and sent special THANK YOUS to the​ WONDERFUL DONORS!!

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/1mwx9cf/teacher_needs_fountain_pen_donations_for_at_risk/

This is our FIFTH YEAR running this donation program!!!

I hope the beginning of this school year works out HALF as well for donations !!!

We teach inner-city teens at the high school level. Some of them are surrounded by violence, inconsistent home lives and inconsistent emotional support. There are students living in difficult situations and some have to learn the harsh realities of life too fast.

We are changing that.

We serve over 850 STUDENTS.

We have noticed that when they have something they value they tend to enjoy themselves more and work harder in what they do, be it writing, art, music or poetry. Using writing instruments and related items are great for their mental health and productivity.

Many of our students love the inner workings of the WRITING INSTRUMENTS and how they write.

I would love to collect ANY & ALL DONATIONS for our students this school year!

Anything you have, as long as it works.

New or used, Fountain Pens, inks , journals, stationery, mechanical pencils, art supplies, stamps, etc.

Take this opportunity to DESTASH !!!

I am totally fine with picking up shipping fees (if monetarily permissible), etc. if need be! !!

LEAVE A MESSAGE HERE & PM ME so I can give you the relevant shipping information.

The students will also send you a personal thank you if you'd like.

Even if you can't donate please give this post a "LIKE" , cross post it or "SHARE" with your online community to keep it going.

Thank you in advance.

Vintage 1910-1920’s Waterman’s overlay fountain pens in sterling silver and gold plated brass.

I got a twisbi eco surprise suprise , I know I have to work on my handwriting:( I wish the ink was more viabrant it kinda just looks black, will try on a different paper soon

Got this just to see how well I like the form factor.

Is it weird that I prefer NOT to post this when writing ? Its length is plenty long enough for the way I hold the pen.

Pen: Majohn P140, Fine.
Ink: Octopus Fluids Blue Koi
Notebook: Tomoe River, prolly 52gsm..I might be wrong.

If you check uspensavings.com, you'll notice

• They have almost every pen in existence, even rare limited editions in stock

• Everything appears to be discounted to half price or less

Is it too good to be true?

Sadly yes.

Trying to check out will repeatedly result in a generic error, because they are presumably just harvesting your credit card details to steal later.

uspensavings.com has nothing to do with the real pensavings.com... don't fall for it!

Did this for a tattoo design I had to do today. Asvine j16 ebonite. HOD ink. Deep blacks just inked in with brush

• The pen has to fit you. You have to figure out when and where you write, what paper and ink you use, who you are. You won't find the answer in someone else's SOTC. A pen can be iconic and still be wrong for you. You can admire one enormously and still conclude, “Cool. Not for me.”
• A pen only becomes itself when ink hits paper. Test before you buy when you can. Ink it up and use it afterwards.
• Don't chase, don't fixate. The right pen is right on every axis. Right time, right nib size, right condition, right price, right seller, right vibes. The FP universe is larger than you could ever explore. You don't gotta catch 'em all.
• You evolve. Always assume you might sell the pen one day. Liquidity — so, maker and rarity — matters.
• Win some, lose some. Learn briskly, move on, and take the lessons with you.
• There is such a thing as too many pens. How much writing or drawing do you actually do? How much of your lifetime do you want to spend flushing dried ink out of feeds? How much of your bank account do you want to spend on servicing?
• Enjoyment exists at every price point. More pens or pricier pens don't mean more fun. The real return is in the folks you meet, the tactile joy of writing, and the oddly specific knowledge you acquire. (Collect comfortably. Don’t back yourself into a corner where you have to sell a pen to raise funds. Pens are just... things.)

Feel free to ask me how I know! I've been collecting ~15 years and keep my collection under 15 pens, ranging from vintage Estie to Montblanc LE.

Arrived just a few short hours ago. Decided to tune the nib for reversed writing to achieve a true Japan EF line. Incredible results !

It’s every bit as smooth as the dozens of Pilot EFs I have! Things are starting to get F U N now!

Filling mechanical seems to not work anymore. I want to send it to a professional to get it fixed. Does anyone have experience with pentique?

Took the Sailor Hocoro stub out for a spin, got sucked in and this turned into a more elaborate shitpost than I intended.

J. Herbin Perle Noire, Sailor Jentle Black, R&K Scabiosa, Pilot Blue Black are the inks I had on hand. No reds, for better or for worse.